Venus mars and cupid guercino biography
Venus mars and cupid guercino biography book.
Guercino (1591-1666)
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri
Mature Career
Arriving in Rome in 1621, Guercino soon began work on his first papal commission - the Portrait of Paul Gregory XV (1622, J Paul Getty Museum, LA), which for many years was lost in history and mistaken for the work of Titian.
Venus mars and cupid guercino biography
In Rome the prevailing style was still Classicism, exemplified by the St Cecilia frescos (1613-14) by Domenichino (1581-1641). It appeared initially that Guercino was set to challenge it. He did so with his Aurora, (1622) a fresco painting on the ceiling of the entrance hall of the Pope's country house (Casino Ludovisi).
In this work, the 30-year old Guercino unleashed all his artistic flair charging the composition with movement and energy. The illusionistic quadratura technique was applied with the help of the great quadraturista Italian Agostino Tassi (1578-1644).
The whole thing was a direct challenge to the Aurora (1613-14) by Guido Reni (1575-1642) at the Casino R